How to create a successful business
February 19, 2019
By Jerry Bellune
High on my role model list is Herb Kelleher’s name.
What he achieved in 87 years on earth is amazing.
What’s even more amazing is that as a chain-smoking, Wild Turkey drinking, Harley-riding lawyer, he lasted this long.
Herb was a New Jersey boy who worked the Campbell’s Soup assembly line.
He came to appreciate hard workers and productivity over paperwork.
He earned a law degree, moved to San Antonio and met Rollin King.
Together they dreamed up a low-cost airline.
Their goal was to help people like those he had worked with on the Campbell’s Soup assembly line. They were people who could not afford to fly.
They would offer affordable flights in minutes across Texas that took hours in a bus, car or truck.
Herb drew a business plan on a cocktail napkin.
It showed Dallas, Houston and San Antonio as the 3 hubs of the venture they would call Southwest Airlines.
They used only Boeing 737s to save time and money on maintenance and training. They partnered with #2 airports where traffic was lighter and they could load and unload faster to keep their flights on time.
Southwest was truly egalitarian. No fancy first and business class seating. Everyone sat together and you picked your seat.
There were no frills. If you wanted to eat on board, bring your own sandwich. And you didn’t have to pay extra fees to change flights or check your luggage.
Their managers made employees happy in the belief that happy employees make passengers happy, too.
They did goofy things to have fun.
Pilots and attendants told jokes and sang songs on the intercom.
It was a refreshing departure from humorless airlines.
Kelleher created a sense of family. He remembered employees’ names and birthdays and showed concern for them and their families.
He encouraged them to show initiative and solve their passengers’ problems.
In a moving tribute to Herb, Southwest paid for a full-page advertisement in the Wall Street Journal. It pictures Herb in a photo he probably loved.
He was dressed in a brown suit, brown tie, and beige shirt. His hair was silver, her eyes carried their own bags and his smile suggested he had just delivered a punch line.
“Dear Herb,” it opened. “Thanks for always remembering our names, for keeping our airline flying high and our spirits higher, for always being there. For being the hardest worker and the life of the party, for turning a company into a family. We will be forever in your debt and aspire to keep your spirit alive.”
How would you feel if your family, friends, and staff honored you like that?
February Takeaway. Great leaders are entrepreneurs at heart. If you aspire to be one, order “Maverick Entrepreneurs’ Million Dollar Strategies.” In it, 11 entrepreneurs share their strategies. Be among the first to receive the book in December. Advance orders for $20 autographed copies are available at 803-359-7633 or email [email protected]
Copyright 2019 The Bellune Company Inc.
